The work and contribution of eleven eminent bioscientists and exceptional early career researchers have been acknowledged in the annual Biochemical Society Awards. Each recipient has been recognised for excellence in their field of the biosciences, ranging from bioenergetics and 3D whole organ microscopy to prokaryotic cells and cancer research. 

Professor Colin Bingle, Professor of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Sheffield, and Chair of the Biochemical Society’s Awards Committee, says: “We are living in extraordinary times and the COVID-19 pandemic has helped to shine a light on the value of high-quality research and collaboration in the life sciences. Amongst this year’s nominees, there were some excellent, outstanding scientists which made the judging process very difficult. Every year, I am impressed by the contribution of these innovators and it is inspiring to see our winners are all on an upward trajectory in their chosen field. My heartfelt congratulations to our 2022 winners!” 

Dr Maria Marti Solano, one of our Early Career Research award recipients, adds: “I am delighted to receive this award. I would like to thank my nominators, especially Dr M. Madan Babu, who is not only a really inspiring scientist but also an excellent mentor. Due to its multi-disciplinary nature, my research would not have been possible without the outstanding experimental and computational collaborators I’ve been lucky to work with in the past years, so I’d like to take this chance to thank them all for their continued support.” 
 
The full list of recipients of the Biochemical Society’s 2022 Awards are: 
 
The AstraZeneca Award 
Dr Sjors Scheres, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology 
 
The Centenary Award 
Professor Jeremy Thorner, University of California Berkeley 
 
The Colworth Medal 
Dr Tanmay Bharat, University of Oxford 
 
Early Career Research Award 
Dr Hendrik Messal, The Netherlands Cancer Institute 
 
Early Career Research Award 
Dr Maria Marti Solano, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology 
 
The GlaxoSmithKline Award 
Dr Ivan Ahel, University of Oxford  
 
Industry and Academic Collaboration Award 
Professor Matthias Trost, Newcastle University 
 
International Award 
Dr James Murphy, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research 
 
The Keilin Memorial Lecture Award 
Professor Leonid Sazanov, Institute of Science and Technology Austria 
 
The Morton Lecture Award 
Professor Valerie O’Donnell, Cardiff University 
 
Teaching Excellence Award 
Dr Dave Lewis, University of Leeds  
 

You can read more about the recipients here > 

Each year the Biochemical Society presents a series of prestigious awards that recognize excellence and achievement in both specific and general fields of science. Six of these awards are presented annually and the remaining are awarded either biennially or triennially. Candidates are nominated by their peers and the winners are agreed by a judging panel of respected scientists, from across a range of different scientific backgrounds. 

These winners will receive their prize and deliver an award or medal lecture in 2022. All of the awards and medal lectureships carry prize money and, as part of the prize, winners will also be invited to submit an article to one of the Society’s publications. 

Nominations for the Biochemical Society’s 2023 Awards open in August 2021 and can be made by and for members and non-members alike.